APPARATUS FOR LOWERING WATER TEMPERATURE OF SEA SURFACE

Abstract

APPARATUS FOR LOWERING WATEK TEMPERATURE OF SEA SURFACE ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE /KOL/2OO6 By efficiently lowering a water temperature of a sea surface to thereby suppress an evaporation of a water vapor from the sea surface by lowering the water temperature of the sea surface, a generation of an atmospheric depression is prevented or its strength is weakened. Further, by suppressing a rise of the sea surface temperature, a generation of a red tide or a olue tide is prevented or reduced. As an apparatus for lowering the water temperature of the sea surface, it is constituted such that a pipa for feeding a water is installed in a sea, a suction port of the pipe is disposed in a cold water zone whose temperature is lower than the water temperature of an aim sea surface, an injection port of the pipe is disposed in a requited position below the sea surface, attd a pump is connected to the pipe in order to suck a cold water from the suction port and inject it from the injection port to thereby supply it below the sea surface in a region of the aim sea surface, thereby mixing it with a warm water of higher temperature.

Full Text

BACKGROUND Of THE INVENTION
1 Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to an apparatus for lowering
a water temperature of a sea surface
2 Description of the Related Art:
The water temperature in a water surface is one of factors
exerting an influence an an environment. For example, there
is a warm current, which is famous as EL Nino phenomenon, flowing
toward the south along a coast of Peru, and there has become
clear a correlation that, when the El Nino grows by high
temperatures, a frequency in which typhoons generate in the
West Pacific Ocean increases as well. Ever setting aside the
example of a global scale like this, a tendency that, if an
evaporation from the seawater surface becomes active by the
high temperatures, an atmospheric depression becomes liable
to generate is a generally recognized matter. Further, in a
case of a closed water surface whose scale is small, a water
temperature rise becomes one of causes of a situation in which
a blue tide and a red tide are liable to generate, and exerts
a large influence on an ecology of marine organism.
JP-A-7-99862 (Japanese Patent No.3282152) treats a water
temperature control system of a marine deep layer water and
surface layer water for a marine organism production, and there
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is constituted such that the cooled surface layer water, which
is discharged from a heat exchanger ana an evaporator of a heat
pump, is usea as the marine water for the marine organism
production That is, since the deep layer water having been
taken and the surface layer water are fed to the heat exchanger
to thereby perform a heat exchange by giving only a heat quantity
that the surface layer water has to the deep water layer, it
is possible to obtain individually the cooled surface layer
water and the heated deep layer water, so that there is brought
about an advantage that the surface layer water and the deep
layer water, each of which has a set water temperature level,
are obtained. However, in the method of this invention, since
the heat pump, which possesses the heat exchanger and a condenser,
and another equipment are necessary, an objet capable of being
applied is limited, so that it is not easy to enlarge more than
that.
JP-A-11-71735 relates to a method of preventing a seawater
from being warmed, and has a purpose of lowering the temperature
of the seawater by causing a low temperature water stagnating
in a deep place of the seawater to ascend, thereby exerting
a wave motion to a high temperature water in a sea surface side.
In a case of this invention, there is adopted a constitution
in which the air from a compresseo air apparatus is injected
upward, from a deep place in the sea by using an infection nozzle
to thereby push upward the low temperature water stagnating
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in the sea by a pressure of the air. However, in order to inject
air bubbles from the deep place in the 3ea, there is required
a pressure capable of injecting them while overcoming a pressure
in that deep sea and, moreover in the deep sea since the bubble
is compressed and ought to become small by a high pressure,
tnere is a question as to whether or not it is possible to
efficiently push upward the low temperature water.
JP-A-2004-49960 is aimed at removing an eutrophic
substance by an aeration from a water bottom, and is common
to the above invention in a point that the low temperature water
is carried upward by the air bubbles However, this invention
is one generating a gentle induced flow together with an increase
in dissolved oxygen concentration and, since it is not one
suggesting the fact that the low temperature water is carried
to the surface layer by the induced flow following upon the
aeration from such a depth as exceeding 100 meters, a very shallow
water region is made an object, and a necessary pressure is
comparatively low.
Incidentally, UnitedState Patent No, 5,441,200 discloses
a method of disintegrating a tropical cyclone which has already
generated. In this invention, there is adopted means in which
such a chemical that the cyclone causes a self-disintegration
action is supplied to an eye of the tropical cyclone. By the
fact Chat a water vapor combines with the chemical to thereby
form large molecules and a wall of the eye spins out by a
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centrifugal force, a diameter of the eye enlarges, a wind
velocity decreases, and a storxn becomes minimum. Further,
United States Patent No 6, 315, 213 relates to one which intends,
by throwing a crosslinking polymer into a cloud, to cause a
rain to be absorbed to the polymer, and one by which, as a result
since it solidifies while becoming a gelatin-like substance,
a strength weakens, and a rainfall ability of the cloud
decreases.
Each of the former three treats a technique for lowering
the water temperature of the sea surface and is based on a
consideration that, if the evaporation from the sea surface
is suppressed by a temperature drop of the sea surface and this
suppression can be implemented in large scale, a generation
of the atmospheric depression is suppressed or retarded, or
it is possible to weaken the strength. In regard to this, since
each of the latter two is aimed at weakening the strength of
the cloud forming the cyclone, it is considered tnat, so long
as an energy supplied from the sea surface does not weaken,
the cyclone continues to exist, and in addition there is a problem
of environment pollution by the throwing-in of tne chemical.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is one having been made by paying
attention to the above points, and its problem is to efficiently
lower the water temperature of the sea surface. Further,
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another problem of the present invention is to prevent the
generation of the atmospheric depression or weaken the strength
of the atmospheric depression having already generated by
suppressing the evaporation of the water vapor from the sea
surface by lowering the water temperature of the sea surface.
Further, still another problem of the present invention is to
prevent or reduce a generation of the red tide, the blue tide
or the like due to the temperature rise of the sea surface.
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention
is one in which, about an apparatus for lowering a water
temperature of a sea surface, there has been adopted means in
which a pipe for feeding a water is installed in a sea, a suction
port of thepipe is disposed in a cold water zone whose temperature
is lower than the water temperature of the sea surface, an
injection port of the pipe is disposed in a required position
below the sea surface, and a pump is connected to the pipe in
order to suck a cold water from the suction port and intact
it from the injection port to thereby supply it to an aim region
below the sea surface, thereby mixing it with a warm water of
higher temperature.
The present invention is the apparatus for lowering the
water temperature of an aim sea surface, and its purpose exists
in preventing the evaporation of the water vapor from the sea
surface, or suppressing it as much as possible. As an invention
for suppressing the evaporation of the water vapor from the
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sea surface, there is an apparatus for preventing a typhoon
of Japanese Patent No. 2727128, and in this invention there is
disclosed means in whicn the seawater surface is covered by
a cover However, an extent capable of being covered by the
cover does not amount to much, so that the covers of very large
numbers are required. On the other hand, it is considered that
remarkable difficulties follow in laying and extending such
wide covers on the sea surface, and removing them thereafter.
Whereupon, the present invention is one in which the water
feea pipe is installed in the sea, the cold water whose
temperature is lower than the sea surface is sucked from the
cold water zone, near the aim sea surface, whose temperature
is lower than a water temperature of the aim sea surface to
thereby supply it to a region below the aim sea surface whose
temperature is higher, and thus the temperature of the region
concerned is lowered, thereby suppressing the evaporation of
the water vapor from the aim sea surf ace. In many cases, although
the cold water zone whose temperature is lower than the water
temperature of the aim sea surface is demanded from a deep sea,
it may be demanded from the cold water zone in a place nearer
the water surface in a case where a cold water-nass is obtained
nearby. The water feed pipe is made one which is installed
in the sea, and there is adopted a method of pipe-transporting
the sea-water from an inside of the sea to an inside of the sea.
There is not adopted a method of moving the cold water to an
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aim region in the sea and sprinkling it from above the sea surface
its reason is because, besides the fact that an extra sprinkling
apparatus is necessary, reversely it ruffles the sea surface
to thereby promote the evaporation and thus it becomes an adverse
effect.
By the pipe for feeding the water, since the cold water
an the cold water zone whose temperature is lower than the water
temperature of the sea surface is taken in and in-water-supplied
to the aim sea surface, a higher temperature warm water in the
aim sea surface is mixed with the cold water and thus a direct
beat exchange is performed, so that it becomes a lower
temperature. Accordingly, the water temperature of the aim
sea surface is lowered by the water temperature of the cold
water zone and, in a case where the cold water whose temperature
is sufficiently low has been obtained, it is possible to cool
the aim sea suiface of a wider region to the lower temperature
by a smaller quantity of water. In regard to this, in a case
where the water temperature of the cold water zone is not low
sufficiently, there may occur the fact that the aim sea surface
cannot be cooled sufficiently even by a larger quantity of water.
However, the water temperature, of the sea surface, at which
the st rength of the tropical atmospheric depression intensifies
is deemed to be about 26°C or higher (for example, a reference
document made by ths Meteorological Agency in August 1998).
In regard to this, when the water temperature below 200 in from
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the sea surface is as sufficiently low as 15°C to 20°C even near
the north latitude 20 degrees, since there is obtained a
difference of several degrees to about ten degrees from the
water temperature of the sea surface Of 26°C, it is considered
to be sufficiently effective for lowering the water temperature
of the aim sea surface by 1 to 2 degrees. Further, since the
temperature, of the cold water-mass, extending to the sea surface
is lower by, e g., about 5°C than the water temperature of
surroundings, when this is utilized it is possible to obtain
an effect of some degree even if the pipe is not sunk 200 m
or deeper
Since a cold water quantity capable of being transported
by a hose depends on a size and a flow velocity of a pipe, it
is important to dispose the hoses of a necessary number in the
aim sea surface. whereupon, in the present invention, an
underwater platform having an underwater and float function
is disposed in the sea, and it is possible to adopt a method
of disposing an underwater platform having plural pipes
longitudinally installed, in the sea of the aim sea surface
while preparing a necessary number of underwater platforms.
Since necessary for the underwater platform are a pump power
for feedinq the water, and a depth adjustment function for
disposing tne pump power and tne underwater platform in a desired
water depth, if it is possible to use, e q. , a retired submarine,
it is near the best This is because it is comparatively easy
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to remodel the submarine so as to be capable of utilizing its
propulsion power as the pump power and the depth adjustment
function can be utilized as it is.
By doing like this, by the present invention, lt is possible
to lower the sea surface of the temperature of about 26°C for
instance by 1 to 2°C, more desirably about 2 to 3°C or more and,
by this, it is possible to suppress the evaporation of the water
vapor to thereby cut off an energy supply to the typhoon or
the tropical atmospheric depression, or decrease an energy
supply quantity. Additionally, since the water temperature
lowering apparatus of the present invention can, by being
disposed in an ocean current, lower the water temperature of
the ocean current or can utilize the ocean current as a
transportation means of the cold water, it becomes possible
to lower the water temperatures of the sea surfaces jusC below
the red tide and the blue tide or the tropical atmospheric
depression and the typhoon, which have already generated, and
by this it xs also possible to weaken the strengths of the tropical
atmospheric depression and the typhoon.
The underwater platform can possess a propulsion system
such a propeller as a movement means in order to be moved to
the aim sea surface, or in order to be moved to an optimum position
with respect to the aim sea surface Further, on the occasion
of the movement of the underwater platform, in order to prevent
the pipe for feeding the water from becoming a resistance, it
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is possible to incline the pipe for feeding the water such that
an angle intersecting with a movement direction becomes smaller
than a right amgle
Since the present invention is constituted and acts like
the above, there are advantages that the water temperature of
the aim sea surface can be certainly lowered, and by this it
becomes possible to suppress the evaporation of the water vapor
to thereby prevent the generation of the atmospheric depression
or weaken its strength, or it is possible to prevent or reduce
other harmful influences along with the temperature rise of
the sea surface, such as generation of the red tide or the blue
tide for instance.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig 1 is a side view showing an example 1 of an apparatus
for lowering a water temperature of a sea surface according
to the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a front view of the above-described apparatus,
Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a pipe having a submerged
pump used in the apparatus of the present invention;
Fig. 4 is a side view of a use state of the apparatus of
an example 2 according to the present invention;
Pig . 5 is a side view under an advance state of the apparatus
of Fig 4,
Fig. 6 is aparcial sectional view showingatpipe for feeding
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a water in the apparatus of the example 2;
Fag. 7 is a sectional view showing the partially enlarged
pipe in Fig 6,
Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing a lock for counter
rotation between an outer pipe and an inner pipe;
Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing a lock for counter
rotation between the outer pipe and an intermediate pipe, and
Fig. 10 is a plan explanatory view showing one example
in a case where the apparatus of the present invention is
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereunder, the present invention is more detailedly
explained while referring to an embodiment shown in the drowinags.
Fag. 1 is a side view showing an example 1 of a water temperature
lowering apparatus 10 according to the present invention, and
Fig 2 a front view. In the drawings, 11 denotes a pipe, and
it is longitudinally upwardly installed by a plural number in
each of an underwater platform 12.
18 The underwater platform 12 has, as its minimum limit
functions, an underwater depth adjustment function and a power
supply function to a pump 15 In the underwater platform 12,
several pxpe elements 13 are stood respectively in both left
and right broadsides of the platform, and are connected with
beam materials 14, 16 being bridged to an upper part and a lower
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part of the pipe elements 13, and all of the pipe elements 13
and the upper and lower beam 14, 16 are reinforced by slant
tension members 17, thereby forming a strong structural body
of a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. The
structural body is fixedly attached to the underwater platform
12 by the upper beammembers 16 for instance. In the exemplified
case, the pipe 11 has a multistage telescopic structure, and
is mounted to the pipe elements 13 fixed to the broadside so
as to be capable of adjusting its upper and lower positions.
In the drawings, 16 denotes a cold water suction port having
been provided in a pump side, 19 an injection port having been
provided in a hose upper end, and 20 a propeller
In the apparatus 10 of the embodiment, the pipe 11 is
fitted into an inside of the pipe elements 13, combined so as
to be capable of sliding upward and downward, and formed so
as to be capable of being linked to a pipe holaing portion 21,
which holds the pipe elements 13, through a connection means
22 such as wire (refer to Fig. 3). The connection means 22 such
as wire is provided so as to be capable of being wound up and
down by a winch 23 mounted in an underwater platform side, thereoy
being possessed a pipe ascent and descant function so as to
be capable of causing the pipe 11 to ascend and descend. This
is means which, even if the underwater platform itself is not
dived to the depth of a cold water zone L, makes it possible
to dispose the suction port 10 in an aim depth by an
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elongation/shrinkage and the decent of the pipe 11, and to adjust
the ascent and the descent by coinciding a position of the suction
pott 18 with a position fluctuation of the cold water zone L.
The pump 15 is mounted to a lower end of the pipe 11 like
this, and there is used, among the submerged pumps, one of a
type called, a hiqh depth pump. In the case of this example,
although the high depth does mean a depth of 100 to 200 m below
the sea surface, it is desirable that the pump, in higher depth,
e.g up to 400 m below the sea surface, is operable. An on-off
valve 24 is provided in an upper end of the pipe 11, and it
opens if tne water feed is started and closes if it ends. By
this fact, it is possible that the pipe 11 is automatically
ascended by a water pressure at a water feed time, and the valve
is opened at a time when a water feed pressure has overcome
the valve. Further, a nozzle is provided in the inection port
19, and the cold water is suitably supplied below the aim sea
surface. It is desirable that, in a case where an injection
port position is deep for instance, there is used a convergent
type nozzle capable of taking a long reaching distance and,
in a case where tne injection port position is shallow, there
is used a diffusion type nozzle whose reaching distance is short
and which can rapidly diffuse the water to a wider range. However,
if it is a nozzle, of a type capable of adjusting the convergence
and the diffusion, that nozzle is more preferable.
The apparatus 10, of the present invention, constituted
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like this is disposed by a necessary number in an aim sea surface
A or its vicinity (refer to Fig 4). That is, as to the apparatus
10 of the present invention, the suction port 18 xti the pipe
lower end is disposed, e.g., in the cold water zone L existing
in the sea near the aim sea surface, and the injection port
19 in the pipe upper end is disposed in a warm water zone H
in a sea surface layer or a place near it. The cold water having
been sucked from the suction port 18 is injected from the
infection pore 19 and mixed with the seawater in the warm water
zone H, and it follows that, by performing the direct hear
exchange, the water temperature of the warm water zone H is
lowered. In the example of the erabodiment, since it is estimated
that a diameter of the pipe 11 is 500 f and a water feed ability
of the pump 15 3 t/min and the eight pipes 11 are used for one
apparatus, by supposing the water feed quantity of 24 tons per
minute and disposing the present apparatus 10 by a required
numbet as shown in Fig. 4, the water tewperature of the aim sea
surface A is lowered. If the above apparatus 10 is disposed
by 20, since there is the water feed ability of 480 tons per
minute, i.e., 29800 tons per hour, it follows that, if the depth
of the warm water zone H is 10 m, a sea region of 2880 square
meters can be cooled by one hour. As to the temperatuxe drop,
in a case where it has been supposed that the water temperature
of the warm water zone H is 26°C and the water temperature of
the cold water in the cold water zone L 20°C, there becomes
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a calculation that, supposing that the warm water and the cold
water: are the same quantity, they can be cooled to 23oC.
22 Fig. 10 shows an example in which, in a case where the
warm water zone H is stagnating or moving at a lower velocity
and there exists a higher velocity ocean current flowing into
the warm water zone H, the ocean current is used for a cold
water transportation means. The apparatus 10 of the present
invention is disposed, e g. , like a lattice in a predetermined
place in an upstream of the warm water zone H. Although lattice
intervals a and b can be arbitrarily set, if the example of
the above embodiment is used, it follows that there suffices
if the present apparatus 10 is disposed with a 100 meters interval
fox instance. The fact that the water temperatuxe of the warm
water zone H lowers by as much as 3°C front 26°C for instance
is an extremely remarkable advantage, and can be said that it
is an effective means for making a situation under which a factor
generating the tropical atmospheric depression is resolved or
the tropical atmospheric depression is difficult to generate.
Further, as having been already, partially mentioned, since
the retired submarine Can be utilized as the underwater platform
12 constituting the present invention, it becomes also a method
of safely utilizing the submarine having become unnecessary.
Fig. 4 to Fig. 5 show an example 2 of a water temperature
lowering apparatus 30 according to the present invention. The
water temperature lowering apparatus 30 of the example 2 is
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one having an inclinable pipe for feeding the water, and each
water feed pipe is prepared by the same number degree as the
example 1 and shaft-supported to the underwater platform 12
in a pipe holding part 31 such that its upper part is inclined
at least rearward in such a manner that the angle intersecting
with the movement direction becomes small. About the pipe for
feeding the water, 32 denotes a rotation shaft and 33 a bearing,
and they are installed in the underwater platform side Fig 6).
Additionally, the pipe for feeding the water is rotatably
shaft-supported in its upper part and lower part to beam members
34, 36 and fixed with slant tension members 3? being applied.
Further, in an upper end of each pipe for feeding the water,
there is provided a float 35 used for floating to the sea surface.
The pipe 11 for feeding the water in the example 2 has
an outer pipe 41 fixed to the pipe holding part 31, an intermediate
pipe 42 positioned inside the former, and an inner pipe 43
positioned more inside the same. The outer pipe 41 has upper
and lower flange parts 44 and 45, a stopper 46 having been provided
in an upper end of the intermediate pipe 42 is received by the
upper flange part 44, and a stopper 47 having been provided
an a lower and of the intermediate pipe 43 is received by the
lower flange part 45. Further, between the outer pipe 41 and
the intermediate pipe 42 and between the outer pipe 41 and the
inner pipe 43, there are provided locks consisting of concave
parts 48, 48' extending along a vertical direction and convex
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portions 49, 49' capable af sliding while fitting to the concave
parts (Fig 8 and Fig. 9).
The pump 15 is connected to a lower end of the intermediate
pipe 42, and its lower end becomes the suction port 19 of the
cold water. About other constitution, since it may be similar
to the example 1, the same reference numeral is quoted and its
explanation in detail is omitted. 38 denotes a buffer body,
and it is disposed between the float 35 and the upper flange
44 and absorbs a shock when the inner pipe 43 has descended.
Further, 39 denotes a wire attachment part
is shown in Fig. 5, since the water temperature lowering
apparatus 30 of the example 2, according to the present invention,
constituted like this has the inclinable pipe for feeding the
water, it is possible to improve a stability on the occasion
of a movement due to a sailing or a towing by the propeller
20, and to decrease the resistance caused by that pipe for feeding
the water. Further, since the float 35 is provided in the inner
pipe 43 of the pipe for feeding the water, it is possible to
utilize a buoyancy of the float 35 when ascending the inner
pips 43 by a water pressure by the pump 15 at a water feed time.
Additionally, since the outer pipe 41, the intermediate pipe
42 and the inner pipe 43 are guided by the locks, the
ascent/descent of the intermediate pipe 42 and the
upward/downward movement of the inner pipe 43 are smoothly
performed
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The invention can toe utilized in a breeding of a marine
organism by a water temperature adjustment of the aim sea surface,
a suppression and a mitigation of a meteorological disaster
by a control of a measothermal climate, a mitigation of global
warming, and the like.
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1 An apparatus for lowering a water temperature of a
sea surface, wherein a pipe for feeding a water is installed
in a sea, a suction port of the pipe is disposed in a cold water
zone whose temperature is lower than the water temperature of
the sea surface, an infection port of the pipe is disposed in
a requiredposition below the sea surface, andapump is connected
to the pipe in order to suck a cold water from the suction port
and inject it from the injection port to thereby supply it Co
an aim region below the sea surface, thereby mixing it with
a warm water of higher temperature.
2. An apparatus for lowering a water temperature of a
sea surface according to claim 1, wharem there is possessed
an underwater platform having an underwater and float function,
and the underwater platform having plural pipes longitudinally
upwardly installed is prepared by a necessary number of platforms
and the prepared platforms are disposed in the aim region an
the sea.
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3- An apparatus for lowering a water temperature of a
sea surface according to claim 2, wherein the pipe for feeding
the water is capable at rotating in a direction inclining such
that, on the occasion of a movement of the underwater platform,
an angle intersecting with a movement direction becomes small.

APPARATUS FOR LOWERING WATEK TEMPERATURE OF SEA SURFACE
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE /KOL/2OO6
By efficiently lowering a water temperature of a sea
surface to thereby suppress an evaporation of a water vapor
from the sea surface by lowering the water temperature of the
sea surface, a generation of an atmospheric depression is
prevented or its strength is weakened. Further, by suppressing
a rise of the sea surface temperature, a generation of a red
tide or a olue tide is prevented or reduced. As an apparatus
for lowering the water temperature of the sea surface, it is
constituted such that a pipa for feeding a water is installed
in a sea, a suction port of the pipe is disposed in a cold water
zone whose temperature is lower than the water temperature of
an aim sea surface, an injection port of the pipe is disposed
in a requited position below the sea surface, attd a pump is
connected to the pipe in order to suck a cold water from the
suction port and inject it from the injection port to thereby
supply it below the sea surface in a region of the aim sea surface,
thereby mixing it with a warm water of higher temperature.